Conveyer.



PATENTED JAN. 30, 1906.

H. M. WEATHERS.

GONVEYER APPLICATION FILED OCT. 2,1905.

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HOYT M. WEATHERS, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO WVILLIAM P. STEINBECK, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.

CONVEYER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 2, 1905- Serial No. 280,975.

Patented Jan. 30, 1906.

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HoYT M. WEATnnRs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Stockton, in the county of San Joaquin, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conveyers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in conveyers, and particularly to that class used in unloading wheat or other material from boats, barges, &c. and my object is to produce such a machine as will enable the same to be accomplished speedily and with a less expenditure of labor than is now experienced in doing the same. This object I accomplish by an endless carrier, in combination with other parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims ap ended.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a releasing sheave or pulley. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of same. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a conveyerhook. Fig. 5 is a view taken on a line a a; of Fig. 1, reduced.

1 designates the water-line, and 2 the bulkhead therefor.

3 represents a barge or boat moored at the usual inclined landing 4 in the bulkhead 2.

5 and 6 are beams arranged on crossbeams 7, which are upheld by uprights 8.

10 is a grooved beam provided with a grooved chain-pulley 11 at the front end, said pulley being provided with corrugations 12.

13 is a chain-pulley located at the rear of the beam 10.

14 is a chain-pulley journaled on a shaft 15, and 16 is a similar pulley j ournaled on a shaft 17, located just behind the shaft on a slightly higher plane. On the shaft 17 is secured a clutch-pulley 18, provided with a clutch-lever 19, pivotally secured to one of the beams 7.

20 is a chain-pulley suitably connected with any ordinary tightening device 21.

22 is a chain-pulley secured to the barge 8, and 23 is an idler-pulley secured to a frame 23, arranged on the bulkhead 2.

24 is an endless chain running over the pulley 11, under the pulley 13, over the pulley 16, under the pulley 14, over the pulley 20, over the pulley 23, and under the pulley 22.

25 represents a grain-truck or other conveying means to which is chained a hook 26, said hook being provided with outwardlyprojecting lugs 27.

In using the machine the various chainpulleys and the arrangement of the pulleys 14 and 16 keep every other link of the chain 24 disposed vertically and the alternating ones horizontally. When it is desired to use the machine, power isapplied to the drivingshaft 17 by connecting the clutch-pulley 18 to any driving means by a belting 32. This sets the endless chain 24 in motion. Every truck 25 is provided with one of the hooks Then the truck-handler reaches the incline 4 with a truck-load of material, he drops the hook 26 over the chain 24, and then the said chain pulls the truck up the incline and thence to the pulley 11, where the corrugations 12 catch the lugs 27 and lift the hook 26 off the chain 24, and then the truckhandler pushes his truck to any point desired. If for any reason the pulley 11 should fail to release the hook 26 as described, I have provided a lever 28, provided with an inverted-U-shaped plate 29, extending over the beam 10. Secured to said lever 28 is a cable 31, running around four pulleys 30 and being comiected to the clutch-lever 19. Thus if the pulley 11 fails to lift the hook 26 it is carried along until it reaches the plate 29. The lever 28 is then pushed backward with the contact of the said hook, and the cable 31 then pulls the clutch 28, which releases the clutch in the pulley 18 and stops the ma chinery.

The main advantage gained by my device is that there is no trouble experienced in hauling the load up the incline 4 or any of the various boat-landings used, while under the present method it takes two or more men to boost each truck-handler up the said incline. Then again after the truck is u the incline the chain continues to carry it a ong,

and thus the man handling the truck must travel just as fast as the said chain, keeping a uniformsteady action at all times, thus causing no loss of ti-rne or labor.

In practice any number of trucks may be hooked to the chain 24.

I have now entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangement of parts embraced in the present and preferred embodiment of my invention. I do not desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to such specific detail, as such changes may be made in practice as may fairly fall within the scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the kind described a grooved beam, a chain-pulley at each end of said beam, a similar pulley arranged in a higher plane than said lastnamed pulleys, a chain-pulley arranged on a boat or barge, an idler arranged on a higher plane than said last-named pulley, an endless chain working in said pulleys, and hooks adapted to be connected to a truck or similar device and to engage with said chain, as specified.

2. In a device of the kind described the combination of a grooved beam, a chain-pulley at each end thereof, the front one of said pulleys having corrugations on its face, two

pulleys arranged on a higher plane than said last-named pulleys one on a slightly higher plane than the other, a chain-pulley arranged at a distance fiom said first-named pulleys, an idler arranged in a higher plane than said last-named pulley, an endless chain arranged on said pulleys and idler, means for applying motive power to said pulleys, a hook adapted to be fastened to a truck or other device and to engage with said chain, said hook being provided with two lugs adapted to coact with said corrugations, and means for stopping the chain when said lugs do not coact with said corrugations, as set forth fully herein.

3. A means for unloading boats comprising the combination of a boat or barge, an endless chain connecting said boat or barge to a point on shore, means for applying motive power to said endless chain, a truck, a hook attached to the leg of said truck and adapted to engage with said chain, and means for disengaging said hook from said chain automatically, as for the purpose set forth herein.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HOYT M. WVEATHERS.

Witnesses:

PERCY S. WEBSTER, JOSHUA B. WEBSTER 

